So Dear To My Heart. Arlene James

      Dear Reader,

      This is a special book to me for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is my 50th book for Silhouette. My association with Silhouette has been a long and, I trust, mutually satisfying one, but it is my relationship with my readers that keeps me coming back to the keyboard day after day with new stories to tell. Your patronage and input are greatly appreciated. It has been the best of all possible worlds for me, so much so that I simply cannot imagine another more satisfying, and it is you, dearest reader, who makes it possible. I thank God for each and every one of you and the opportunity to continue doing what I so love to do. It is my fervent hope that you will enjoy this story of overcoming grief and disappointment by learning to live and love again. Those of us who have suffered such losses—and haven’t we all?—know that life has a way of pulling us back into the fray even when we feel too wounded to soldier on, but that it is love which makes the battle worthwhile and the victory sweet.

      I wish you love, therefore, to see you through whatever dark hour may come, and faith in the joy which must surely follow. Most important, I thank you for picking up this book and thereby becoming no small part of my own ongoing delight. To the editors at Silhouette, most especially to those with whom I have worked closely, I express my deep gratitude for the many years of support and guidance.

      God bless,

      Dear Reader,

      I’m dreaming of summer vacations—of sitting by the beach, dangling my feet in a lake, walking on a mountain or curling up in a hammock. And in each vision, I have a Silhouette Romance novel, and I’m happy. Why don’t you grab a couple and join me? And in each book take a look at our Silhouette Makes You a Star contest!

      We’ve got some terrific titles in store for you this month. Longtime favorite author Cathie Linz has developed some delightful stories with U.S. Marine heroes and Stranded with the Sergeant is appealing and fun. Cara Colter has the second of her THE WEDDING LEGACY titles for you. The Heiress Takes a Husband features a rich young woman who’s struggling to prove herself—and the handsome attorney who lends a hand.

      Arlene James has written over fifty titles for Silhouette Books, and her expertise shows. So Dear to My Heart is a tender, original story of a woman finding happiness again. And Karen Rose Smith—another popular veteran—brings us Doctor in Demand, about a wounded man who’s healed by the love of a woman and her child.

      And two newer authors round out the list! Melissa McClone’s His Band of Gold is an emotional realization of the power of love, and Sue Swift debuts in Silhouette Romance with His Baby, Her Heart, in which a woman agrees to fulfill her late sister’s dream of children. It’s an unusual and powerful story that is part of our THE BABY’S SECRET series.

      Enjoy these stories, and make time to appreciate yourselves in your hectic lives! Have a wonderful summer.

      Happy reading!

      Mary-Theresa Hussey

      Senior Editor

      So Dear to My Heart

      Arlene James

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Books by Arlene James

      Silhouette Romance

      City Girl #141

      No Easy Conquest #235

      Two of a Kind #253

      A Meeting of Hearts #327

      An Obvious Virtue #384

      Now or Never #404

      Reason Enough #421

      The Right Moves #446

      Strange Bedfellows #471

      The Private Garden #495

      The Boy Next Door #518

      Under a Desert Sky #559

      A Delicate Balance #578

      The Discerning Heart #614

      Dream of a Lifetime #661

      Finally Home #687

      A Perfect Gentleman #705

      Family Man #728

      A Man of His Word #770

      Tough Guy #806

      Gold Digger #830

      Palace City Prince #866

      *The Perfect Wedding #962

      *An Old-Fashioned Love #968

      *A Wife Worth Waiting For #974

      Mail-Order Brood #1024

      *The Rogue Who Came To Stay #1061

      *Most Wanted Dad #1144

      Desperately Seeking Daddy #1186

      *Falling for a Father of Four #1295

      A Bride To Honor #1330

      Mr. Right Next Door #1352

      Glass Slipper Bride #1379

      A Royal Masquerade #1432

      In Want of a Wife #1466

      The Mesmerizing Mr. Carlyle #1493

      So Dear to My Heart #1535

      Silhouette Special Edition

      A Rumor of Love #664

      Husband in the Making #776

      With Baby in Mind #869

      Child of Her Heart #964

      The Knight, the Waitress and the Toddler #1131

      Every Cowgirl’s Dream #1195

      Marrying an Older Man #1235

      Baby Boy Blessed #1285

      Her Secret Affair #1421

      Silhouette Books

      Fortune’s Children

      Single with Children

      The Fortunes of Texas

      Corporate Daddy

      Maitland Maternity

      The Detective’s Dilemma

      ARLENE JAMES

      grew up in Oklahoma and has lived all over the South. The author enjoys traveling with her husband, “the most romantic man in the world,” but writing has always been her chief pastime.

      Praise for beloved author Arlene James, in recognition of her

      MR. RIGHT NEXT DOOR

      “Be prepared for more realism and depth than is usually found in a category romance.”

      —The Romance Reader

      THE PERFECT WEDDING

      “Ms. James provides a powerful